The AFC South had two playoff teams in 2025, with both the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans going 13-4 and 12-5, respectively. But despite the common notion that the best teams in the NFL are built in the trenches, neither of these AFC South offensive line rooms was particularly impressive in 2025 (and one of them will not feature a player on this list).
For that matter, Pro Football Network’s Offensive Line Impact metric graded these two lines as bottom 10 units in the entire NFL, with the Jaguars coming in at 26th and the Texans at 24th. The Tennessee Titans also came in the bottom ten by the same metric, ranking at 22nd.
But it’s a new season, and the AFC South offensive linemen room is still flush with talent, including one of the best units in the entire NFL, one of the best up-and-coming individual linemen in the league, and one team that definitely made an effort this offseason to improve their line.
With that said, here’s a look at the top five AFC South offensive linemen as the 2026 season approaches.
The Best AFC South Offensive Linemen for 2026
5. Ed Ingram, G, Houston Texans
The final spot on this list was a toss-up between Ed Ingram and the Jaguars’ Ezra Cleveland.
In the end, Ingram got the nod due to his elite skill as a run blocker.
Pro Football Focus (PFF) gave Ingram a 75.6 run blocking grade for the 2025 season, which was eighth among the 81 qualified guards in the NFL. Ingram’s overall grade was a 71.5, which was 18th out of all 81 guards.
While the 27-year-old pick in the 2022 draft from LSU leaves much to be desired as a pass blocker, he just edges out Cleveland for a spot on the list due to having that elite skill in the run blocking game.
Ingram signed a three-year, $37,500,000 extension with the Texans in March of this year, and if he can improve as a pass blocker, that deal could look team-friendly.
He will now re-join a revamped offensive line with veteran newcomer Wyatt Teller, former Colt Braden Smith, and 2026 22nd overall pick Keylan Rutledge from Georgia Tech as the Texans try to protect C.J. Stroud and improve on an impressive 12-5 campaign in 2025.
As for Ingram, his skill as a run blocker just gets him on the list, but there’s definitely opportunity for a surge upward on this list down the line.
4. Tanor Bortolini, C, Indianapolis Colts
The next two spots on the list are both occupied by the Colts, with the first being center Tanor Bortolini.
Indianapolis was the only team in the AFC South that had an above-average offensive line (before injuries decimated their season), and Bortolini is the man in the middle for this unit.
The 24-year-old former fourth-round pick is an elite run blocker, opening holes for Jonathan Taylor. PFF gave him an 88.2 run-blocking grade, which was good for third amongst centers in the NFL. He also graded out as the third best center in the entire NFL according to PFF with a grade of 82.6.
After playing in just 12 games and starting only five as a rookie in 2024, Bortolini played and started in 16 games during 2025 as he cemented himself as an elite center in an elite offensive line.
Now healthy again, the Colts will look to build on what was an 8-2 start to the season in 2025 before injuries knocked them out of the playoffs. If they can get back to that early 2025 form, Bortolini and this offensive line will be one of the biggest parts in that equation.
3. Bernhard Raimann, T, Indianapolis Colts
Speaking of the Colts, they feature heavily on this list.
Next up is tackle Bernhard Raimann.
The 28-year-old, 2022 third-round pick locks down the blind side of the offensive line for this Colts team and does it quite well.
PFF gave Raimann a grade of 82 for the 2025 season, which was 12th amongst the 89 qualified tackles in the NFL.
He’s solid across the board, as he ranked 13th as a pass blocker and 16th as a run blocker.
With the injuries that Daniel Jones has had throughout his career, Raimann is one of the most important players on this entire Colts team as he tries to protect the quarterback’s blind side.
Raimann is entering the second year of a four-year extension which will pay him $100,000,000 through the 2029 season, and for the Colts’ sake, they hope he stays healthy and continues to play at a high level.
2. Peter Skoronski, G, Tennessee Titans
Now for the only Tennessee Titan on the list: Peter Skoronski.
Skoronski was one of the only bright spots for a Titans team that went 3-14 in 2025 and saw their quarterback Cam Ward get sacked a league-most 55 times as a rookie.
Now entering his age-25 season, the 2023 eleventh overall pick is one of the best guards in the entire NFL. As a pass blocker, he earned an 84.5 PFF grade, which was second in the entire NFL among the 81 qualified guards, and as a run blocker, he was 13th with a grade of 73.2.
Overall, Skoronski was the sixth-rated guard in the entire NFL according to PFF despite being just 24 years old during the 2025 season.
He has also been exceptionally healthy, playing and starting in all 17 games for each of the last two seasons.
Skoronski allowed just two sacks and one additional quarterback hit throughout all of 2025 while committing only four penalties along the way.
The Titans might be a rebuilding team with a lot of question marks on the offensive line, but Skoronski is not one of them.
1. Quenton Nelson, G, Indianapolis Colts
Was there ever a question?
The Colts superstar guard has been one of the best in the business since he stepped foot in the league as the sixth overall pick in 2018 and now at age 30, he shows no signs of letting up.
Quenton Nelson has already done it all when it comes to individual accolades for an offensive lineman. He’s an eight-time Pro Bowler, three-time All Pro and has been extremely durable starting in all 17 games for the last four seasons in a row.
Just focusing on 2025, Nelson was a Second Team All Pro and a Pro Bowler. He earned an 84.7 overall PFF grade which was fourth among the 81 qualified guards and allowed just one sack and two quarterback hits throughout the entire season. He was penalized just two times.
That’s not even to mention Nelson’s run blocking ability which earned an 84.5 PFF grade (fourth among guards) as he continues to create immense holes for Jonathan Taylor to run through year after year.
When it comes to offensive linemen, Nelson is the cream of the crop as he enters the final season of a four-year, $80,000,000 rookie extension he signed in 2022.
For the Colts sake, they might want to start working on that next contract as soon as possible.
Main Image: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images
